Embroidery-rings.



C. DONAHUE.

EMBROIDRY RINGS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1913.

1,140,506. Patented May 25, 1915.

rue NORRIS PETERS 50.. PHOTD-LI7HO.. WASH/NGYON, L7. C.

, UNITEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER DONAHUE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE THOMAS P. TAYLOR CO., OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A: CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

EMBROIDERY-RINGS.

Specification of Lettersiatent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

' ing in the city 'of' Bridgeport, county of Fai'rfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Embroidery-Rings; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to embroidery hoops of the type wherein two rings or hoops are employed, one ring to hold the material and the other ring to clamp the material in position on the holding ring, and the object of the invention is to provide an improved clamping ring that is both expansive and contractible, and which, when engaged with the holding ring, will automatically assume the necessary size to securely retain the material in position on the holding ring.

In carrying out the object of the invention generally stated above, it will be understood that the same may be embodied in various forms, a few simple and practical examples being shown in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a plan View of a holding ring and a cooperating clamping ring, the latter ring embodying one form of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the clamping ring, taken substantially on the line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View in elevation of another form of clamping ring. Fig.5 is a sec tional View taken on the line 5-5, Fig. 4.

The improved clamping ring has been shown in two forms in the accompanying drawings, said ring being designated by the numeral 1, and is split.

In the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the ends of the ring are longitudinally notched to provide the pockets that form the end seats 2 for a spring 3 that is of the expanding type and tends to force the ends of the ring apart so that said ring will tightly fit within the holding ring 4 to clamp the material to said holding ring. A housing 5, that is preferably formed of sheet metal, has flanges 6 at its longitudinal edges, and the end A of the ring 1 extends within one end portion of said housing and its longitudinal edges are overlapped by said flanges. A rivet or other suitable type of fastener 7 is employed for rigidly connecting the housing to the end A of the ring- 1. The opposite end portion of the housing 5 is provided with a longitudinal slot. 8, and a rivet or stud 9 carried'by the end B of the ring 1 extends through said slot, and thereby permits end B to have a limited sliding movement within the housing 5. The described manner of connecting the ends of ring 1 obviously permits said ring to be contracted to permit the same to be placed within ring 4, and when in such position, and the restraining 1 ressure is removed, ring 1 will automatical y expand and thereby firmly clamp the material to the holding ring 4. In the form of the invention described, the clamping ring 1 when in operative position, is within the holding ring 4. The form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5 differs therefrom in structure in that the clamping ring is the outside ring. The type of housing employed in the variant form of the invention is the same as that previously described, the main differences being that the ends of the clamping ring are reduced in thicknesses on their inner surfaces as indicated at 10 so that the rivets 7 and 9, which extend through said reduced ends, will have their inner ends or heads substantially flush with the inner surface of said clamping ring. The spring 11 in this form of the invention is a contractible one and has end hooks 12 that engage the inner ends or heads of the rivets 7 and 9.

In both forms of the invention described, it will be readily seen that the clamping will automatically clamp the material to the holding ring 4, yet such clamping ring can be readily removed by expanding or contracting the same, as the case may be, to release the material.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the ends of the split ring are only reduced centrally and sufficiently to prevent the ends of the rivets 7 and 9 projecting beyond the ring and interfere with the material. It will also be seen that in the last-mentioned form of the invention the abrupt ends of the ring form the end seats against which the end convolutions of the spring 11 bear.

It will be observed that in both forms of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the ends of the spring are held in engagement with the ends of the ring against lateral displacement. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, such engagement between the spring ends and the ends of the ring is obtained by seating the ends of the spring in the end notches 2 of the ring so that the sides of the notches engage the sides of the end portions of the spring. In the form of the invention shown in Figsfll and 5, the end hooks 12 of the spring engage the rivets 7 and 9 of the ring and by such engagement are held to the reduced portion of the ring, which obviously prevents lateral displacement of the spring.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a material holder for embroidery frames, the combination with a resilient split ring, of a spring lying inthe plane of andbetween the ends of the ring for resisting the relative movement of the same; a casing formed of a single piece of sheet metal transversely bent to provide a flat portion that overlaps one flat surface of the ring ends and having side flanges that overlap the sides and the other flat surfaces of the same; means for rigidly fastening one of the ends of the ring within one end of the casing, the other end of the casing slidably inclosing the other end of the ring and being provided with a longitudinally extending slot, and a stud carried by the last-mentioned end of the ring and slidably engaging the slot. 7 v e a 1 f 2. A material holder for embroidery rings comprising a split ring having its ends shaped to form spring abutments and being circumferentially reduced, a casing inclosing the ends of the split ring and having 7 one end provided with a slot, studs projecting through the reduced portions of the ring and extending through one portionof andinto the casing, one of said studs permanently fasteningthe casing to one end of the ring, theother stud engaging the slot of the casing to slidably connect the casing to the other.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batents,

' Washington, D. C. l 

